new 2.26GHz Macbook Pro or refurbished 2.4GHz Macbook aluminum?

Refurb - that is the last generation logic board. It has a maximum capacity of 4GB of RAM. This should still be viable for some years to come (especially when Snow Leopard comes out and increases the efficiency of OS X).

New - this is the new logic board. It has a maxmium capacity of 8GB of RAM. This means more long term upgradability than any of the previous generations of Intel laptops by Apple.

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Refurb - actually goes through more tests than a new laptop; you are more likely to get a "dud" with a new laptop versus a refurb one from Apple (weird I know).

New - while in theory it has a greater risk of being a dud, that risk is still pretty low. And if anything is weird, you've 100% covered for a year anyway, so they'll deal with the problem for you.

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Refurb - this is what's called the "removable" battery. It has a realistic charge of about 3-4 hours when new and a lifespan of 2-3 years.

New - this is what's called the "built-in" battery. It has a realistic charge of more like 5-6 hours when new and a lifespan of 3-4 years.

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So to me its the RAM and battery that are the attractive selling points of the new generation laptop. I like the fact that you can upgrade it up to 8GB. With the way Apple makes its OS, that would do you well for quite some time to come. Though the 4GB would likely last you a really long time considering your described uses. I think you'd be ready to get a new Mac by the time 4GB of RAM in a Mac becomes "out dated."

Oh and the MacBook Pro has a Firewire 800 port. I don't believe the MacBook has anything but USB. This may or may not be of value to you. Its handy to have if you need to hook up a camcorder device. Its even handier to have for external hard drives. If you buy an external drive, and buy one with a Firewire 800 port, then with the MacBook Pro you would get essentially the fastest throughput speeds you could get on a Mac.

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Which ever one you do go with, some handy, free, applications to download right away,

"Burn" - its an application for burning CDs and DVDs. Its a lot more robust than the built in "burn folder" of OS X. If you want a pay option that is even more robust, get Toast Titanium.

FireFox - while Apple's Safari is a really great browser, not all web developers bother checking their sites for Safari compatibility. So depending on what sites you visit, you may or may not hit some hiccups along the way. So its good to keep a second browser handy for such occasions.

VLC - Quicktime plays back a lot of movies, but VLC can playback more. Its a great multimedia playback device.

Open Office - If you're going to buy Microsoft Office, then great, you're set. But if you want an open source (free) office suite, consider this one. It can read/write Microsoft Office files. There is a solid user base behind it, so you can get help with it.

Gimp - need to do some photo editing? Here's a free alternative to Photoshop.

Flip 4 Mac - just get the free install from them, this will allow you to watch WMV files on your Mac.

Senuti - transfer songs from your iPod onto your Mac.

Refurbished laptops are generally better than new because they are cheaper, and they have been tested longer than new ones. They have the benefit of going through the initial quality testing, then they get purchased and the person returns it right away. Then it goes through a second round of testing and gets resold. Generally, they look just like new and you will not be able to tell the difference between a refurb and a new. But they do not replace all the parts. If the computer is functional when it is returned, it is simply retested and then sold. But why are you buying an ENTIRELY new laptop when you just need to buy a new battery for the original Macbook you have?